In-service Courses Research Articles

Difficulties that Teachers Face when Incorporating Teaching Technologies in Secondary Schools in Madingou District, Congo

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difficulties facing secondary school teachers and students in the use of teaching technologies.
 Methodology: This was a descriptive survey design. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and observation schedules. The obtained data were analyzed systematically using descriptive statistics and presented with the help of frequency tables, graphs and percentages.
 Findings: The results of the study established that most of the teaching technologies were available but inadequate in terms of quantity. Not all the teaching technologies were easily accessible for both teachers and students for teaching and learning processes.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that the use of teaching technologies was influenced by their availability, how the technology will enhance learning, knowledge and skills on use, syllabus requirement, accessibility and administration among others.
 Recommendation: The study recommends the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should organize seminars, workshops and any other in-service courses frequently to familiarize and sensitize with a wide range of teaching technologies and their potentials. This could trigger teachers’ creativity and innovation in the use of teaching technologies in teaching and learning process.

Optimization of the Process of Radiological Examination

<p>目的：本計畫針對健診顧客於放射科檢查之流程進行探討與改善，以提升健診顧客於放射科之顧客滿意度。 材料與方法：問卷製作參考PZB缺口模型理論，並以SERVQUAL量表作為模版，分為5大項，設計共23個題目。依據調查結果以「動線標示或指標清楚」、「檢查動線的流暢度」列為2大改善方向，改善方法利用資訊流如:路線指示影片、QR code、APP等。 結果：「動線標示或指標清楚」滿意度由87.2%提升至90.2% (p值=0.06)；「檢查動線的流暢度」滿意度由87.8%明顯提升至92% (p值=0.02)。再將改善後23個問題的重視度及滿意度結果繪製成IPA (important performance analysis)分析圖，進行結果分析與探討。 結論：滿意度結合重視度一起分析，可以更客觀的瞭解顧客是否感到滿意，進而針對問題改善，可以有效的改善顧客滿意度。</p> <p> </p><p>Aim: The accreditation of teaching hospitals encourages medical staff to present research papers. In this study, we sought to assist medical staff in resolving their research-related dilemma and developing their research interest and ability. Methods: The medical staff of XYZ hospital participated in this study. A questionnaire survey was conducted among the participants. The 28-item questionnaire included questions on the participants’ demographics, experiences related to research and journal submission, research needs, and some open‑ended questions. Results: In total, 113 questionnaires were returned. Of the participants, 54.9% had experience in research paper (mostly domestic journal publications and conference proceedings) presentation and 60% were interested in research. The participants regarded the following three tasks as obstacles to conducting research: data analysis, manuscript writing, and manuscript submission and revision. The participants’ ability to draft manuscripts and use statistical software needed improvements. Conclusions: Our findings and the participants’ feedback may serve as a reference for designing in-service courses and relevant policies for medical staff. Teaching hospitals should provide practical assistance to their medical staff for conducting research in addition to clinical practice.</p> <p> </p>

Supporting teacher agency during a collaborative inquiry-based in-service teacher education course

ABSTRACT Teacher agency has been explored in many studies in different contexts, however research on supporting agency is somewhat limited. In this study, we aimed to support teacher agency in a collaborative inquiry-based in-service course developed based on the ecological model of teacher agency and earlier empirical studies. We conducted a study among 57 course participants to explore the potential impact of the course on participants’ agency and investigated which role the motives to join the course had on participants’ agency dynamics. Data were collected with questionnaires. The results showed that participants’ agency was supported to some degree during the collaborative inquiry-based in-service training course, teachers’ motives to join the course were somewhat related to professional agency dynamics.

Teachers’ cognitive beliefs about their assessment and use of tools when evaluating students’ learning of technological systems: a questionnaire study

In technology education, assessment is challenging and underdeveloped as it is a nascent practice and teachers do not have a well-defined subject tradition to lean on when assessing students. The aim of this study is to explore Swedish secondary technology teachers’ cognitive beliefs about assessing students’ learning of technological systems, in relation to the assessment tools they use. Data for the study were collected through a questionnaire which was completed by 511 Swedish technology teachers in lower secondary education (grades 7–9). The data were analysed statistically in three main steps. Exploratory factor analysis revealed underlying dimensions in teachers’ cognitive beliefs, which was followed by correlation analysis to discern associations between dimensions of cognitive beliefs. Finally, comparisons were made between groups of teachers to discern how teachers’ cognitive beliefs are influenced by their experience and educational background. The results show that additional education in the technology and engineering fields relates to more positive cognitive beliefs concerning teachers’ ability to assess students’ learning of technological systems. Teachers’ cognitive beliefs about assessment therefore did not primarily relate to the content of technological systems per se but to increased engineering and technology competence more broadly, which may indicate the importance of a comprehensive technological knowledge base in order to be confident in assessment. Furthermore, strong cognitive beliefs about assessment were connected specifically to local, regional and national technological systems, which are generally well-known and visible types of systems, and to the human, socio-technical dimensions of the systems. Cognitive beliefs about knowledge for assessment were also associated with positive attitudes to assessment tools that followed the formative tradition, which may be explained by the prevalence of procedural epistemic practices and modelling in the design and understanding of technological systems. Technology teachers would need additional in-service courses in engineering to broaden their knowledge and increase their cognitive beliefs about assessment. Formative assessment should also be preferred, and it might be appropriate to begin teaching and assessment with well-known local and regional infrastructural systems with a clear socio-technical dimension.

The Impact of an In-Service Course on Primary School English Teachers: Case studies of Change

ABSTRACT The national ‘Competence for Quality’ in-service programme in Norway aims to enhance the subject knowledge and instructional competences of primary and secondary school teachers across subjects. The programme is evaluated annually through a teacher survey which, however, does not capture in depth how the programme impacts on participants. This study tracked four primary school teachers of English over 26 months and found that the in-service course they completed had positive effects on their confidence to speak English in class and their oral fluency, though a reduction in the accuracy of their classroom English was also noted. Variable but positive changes in teachers’ classroom practices during the course were noted too. Overall, the study highlights links between teacher knowledge, teacher confidence and teacher change, provides insight into how professional development impacts on these dimensions of teaching, and illustrates how case studies can complement quantitative evaluations of in-service programmes for teachers.

The Role of Social Happiness and Vitality in the General Health of Teachers in Yazd

Introduction: Social happiness and vitality is one of the basic concepts and components of people's lives, especially for teachers, which is closely related to their public health. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the role of social happiness and vitality in the general health of teachers in Yazd.
 Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 junior high school and high school teachers in Yazd participated using cluster sampling. General Health, Oxford Happiness, and Social Vitality questionnaires were utilized for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23. Descriptive and analytical statistics, including Pearson correlation coefficient, regression analysis, analysis of variance and t-test were used to determine the predictors of variables. The significance level was considered less than 0.05.
 Results: The mean age of participants was 5.46± 31 years. The mean total health score was 56.12 ± 1.18. Among the health dimensions, the highest mean score was related to social health 15.35 ± 2.25. The mean scores of happiness and social vitality were 44.58 ± 1.57 and 66.01 ±5.57, respectively. There was a direct and significant relationship between social vitality, happiness, and general health (p = 0.00). There was also a direct and significant correlation between social vitality and happiness (p <0.001).
 Conclusion: Considering the effect of social happiness and vitality on teachers' health, it is suggested that happy lifestyle classes be included in the programs of the Ministry of Education for teachers in the form of in-service courses and recreational camps.

Dealing with disability as ‘matter out of place’: emotional issues in the education of learners with visual impairment

ABSTRACT Globally, education of children with disabilities increasingly occurs in inclusive school settings, requiring specialised teacher education. Scholars emphasise relational and instrumental skills, to overcome prejudice and exclusion. Visual impairment (VI) is emotionally evocative, presenting particular challenges to inclusion. Using data from in-service teacher education for VI inclusion in South Africa, this theoretical paper explores the personal and emotional barriers which teachers must negotiate surrounding the ‘new reality’ of VI in their classrooms if successful inclusion is to be achieved, and how teacher education may support this. We set qualitative data from an in-service short course for teachers of VI learners against ideas from disability studies, critical psychoanalysis and anthropology, conceptualising relational issues arising from VI in the classroom. Due to VI's evocation of unconscious anxieties in the observer, we argue that the experiences and needs of children with VI may be felt as ‘matter out of place’ in the classroom, confounding inclusion. Teacher anxiety threatens the capacity for containment and creativity, undermining the secure relationship which is elemental to successful learning. To manage the experiences, feelings and needs of VI learners, teachers require education which facilitates processing of their own emotions surrounding this evocative form of disability.

Re-engineering Quality Assurance Functions to Support Implementation of CBC in Secondary Schools Lessons for Tanzania: A Literature Review

The significance of quality assurance (QA) function in supporting CBC implementation should not be underestimated. Major functions of QAs are to supervise the implementation of the curriculum, organize in-service courses for curriculum implementers, and conduct research on the best practices on QA of the delivery of education. Regardless of the aforementioned QAs functions, a review of literature indicates that QA officers in many African countries do not visit secondary schools as it is required, instead they prefer visiting primary schools to execute their QA activities. This casts doubt on their capacity to carry out their responsibilities in the setting of CBC in secondary schools. Therefore, the purpose of this desktop paper was to find out how QA functions should be re-engineered to match with CBC principles to enable QA officers to supervise implementation of CBC in secondary schools. The specific objectives of this study were to identify the challenges that hinder the execution of QAs functions, recommend strategies for QA officers to enhance their performance and find out lessons which Tanzania can learn from other countries in order to improve QA operations in secondary schools. To find answers to these questions, the study reviewed literature and found that the QA departments were understaffed. Tanzania’s QA department, for example, has 1185 officers, with 218 officers assigned to Secondary and Teachers’ Colleges. Furthermore, review of literature revealed that lack of in-service training among QAs officers has hampered their ability to carry out QA activities in compliance with CBC principles. Based on the findings, the study recommends that there should be adequate staffing of QA department and capacity building for QAs Staff to enable them to execute their roles effectively in the context of CBC.

The Application of Entrepreneurial Elements in Mathematics Teaching: Challenges for Primary School Mathematics Teachers

The entrepreneurial element is one of the aspects emphasized in the primary school mathematics education curriculum in Malaysia. However, previous studies have found that application of entrepreneurial elements in mathematics teaching is still lacking. This study was therefore conducted to identify the real challenges that mathematics teachers face in applying the entrepreneurial element in mathematics teaching. This study is qualitative case study which involved six primary school mathematics teachers. Semi-structured interviews, observation, document analysis and field notes were used for the data collection process in this study. The data obtained was analyzed using the constant comparative analysis method to determine themes and sub-themes. The findings were that a teacher’s knowledge, teaching style, limited time of teaching, and attitudes, and in-service courses and training are among the identified challenges in applying entrepreneurial elements in mathematics teaching. This study expands knowledge and the literature on the challenges faced by school mathematics teachers in applying entrepreneurial elements in mathematics teaching. Various initiatives need to be taken to ensure that all the challenges can be overcome, and ultimately enable the entrepreneurial elements to be applied to students more widely.

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among primary school teachers in selected schools, Kottayam

The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge regarding ADHD among primary school teachers in selected schools, Kottayam. The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among primary school teachers and to find the association between knowledge of primary school teachers regarding ADHD and selected demographic variables. Convenience sampling technique was used to select 30 samples from the three primary schools of Kottayam district. The tools for data collection included semi structured questionnaire for collecting demographic data and a self- administered standardized questionnaire to assess knowledge regarding ADHD among primary school teachers. Pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of the study and followed by which data collection was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result showed that among 30 subjects 6(20%) had poor level of knowledge, 24 (80%) had average level of knowledge and none of them had good level of knowledge regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The study findings revealed that there is significant association between level of knowledge of primary school teachers and selected demographic variables such as gender, type of job, and any special training in child psychology. Result indicated that teachers’ greatest area of knowledge dealt with general information of ADHD. Teachers had lower scores related to identifying the symptoms and diagnosis and knowledge of treatments for the disorder. In conclusion, teachers in Kottayam district needed training on identifying symptoms and diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. The study recommended that In-service training courses to teachers about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder enhance teachers, parents and community awareness about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder through mass media.

A study of a pre-school teacher professionalism in order to improve the quality of educational work

The problem and the aim of the study. High quality early childhood education (ECE) enables children to enjoy the experience and have nurturing environment that promotes holistic development. The teachers quality have been predicted to produce desirable outcomes. However, the challenge is to identify the predictors that can quantify the definition of a quality teacher. This study was formulated to identify the best practice of quality pre-school teachers. Research methods. This study applied a quantitative approach involving survey to answer the research questions. The quantitative approach with a descriptive analysis. This study uses questionnaire to assess individual perceptions and views on quality of early childhood pre-school education. The sample size was 1817 teachers from four types of pre-school or TADIKA (kindergartens). The surveys were conducted in Malaysia starting with random sampling of groups to select representatives of the statewide zones. Each identified zone then underwent a stratified sampling method to ensure that all critical groups of informants were included Results. The study's findings revealed that the gap analysis related to the upgrading of professionalism of pre-school teachers based on in-service course and teaching and learning course attended beyond the standard 7 days a year except MOE pre-school. Second, all pre-school agencies in Malaysia have not reached the best quality benchmarks. However, more than half of MOE pre-school teachers have a bachelor’s degree. The result shown differences between the ratio of teacher from the agencies. The gap ratio of children to teachers between private kindergartens with best practice benchmarks is 2.0 times, while 2.1 times for pre-schools MOE 2.6 times for KEMAS kindergartens, and 3.3 times for JPNIN kindergartens. Conclusion. In conclusion, these findings are important to be given attention and remedial action in order the improvement and quality of teacher achieve the minimum standard especially in participating in adequate professional development programs.

Türkçe Öğretmenlerinin Görsel Okuma Becerisine İlişkin Düşünceleri

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine and evaluate Turkish language teachers' views on visual reading skills. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was designed as a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. The research group consists of 10 Turkish language teachers working in secondary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the city center of Trabzon. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form. In the first part of the interview form, there are three questions for identifying teachers, and in the second part, there are eleven questions for determining teachers' visual reading skills. All of the teachers in the study group participated in the study voluntarily. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data. Findings: In the study, it was determined that the connotations of Turkish language teachers towards visual reading are interpreting something seen and understanding and expressing related questions. It was determined that the most used material in the visual reading of the teachers was the textbook. It was revealed that the reasons for using the textbook were that they were ready and do not require additional preparation. It has been determined that teachers usually do visual reading activities when they see it in the textbook. According to teachers, visual reading mostly improves students' interpretation skills. It was determined that students had problems in visual reading activities due to the lack of attention and reading habit. It was determined that teachers prefer open-ended and multiple choice questions in the assessment and evaluation process for visual reading studies. It was concluded that most of the teachers found the visual reading activities in the textbooks insufficient. While visual reading sounds more fun, enjoyable and easy for students, reading a written text is more boring. It shows that these also affect teachers' preferences in class. It has been determined that teachers think that technology and visual reading show an intertwined and parallel development. It is concluded that visual reading studies eliminate boring in the lesson, motivate students to the lesson, and enrich the lesson. In addition, it was concluded that some of the teachers have perceptions that visual reading is not important except for the exam. Highlights: Especially teachers need training on visual reading and therefore it is necessary to provide training on visual reading skills to teachers through in-service courses

Design for learning – involving teachers in digital didactic design (D3)

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how primary teachers, when taking part in digital didactic design (D3) workshops at the Digital Laboratory Centre at the university, develop their insights about how digital tools can be designed and further used in their teaching of science. The research question addresses how D3 can be used to develop primary teachers’ knowledge about teaching science with digital technologies.Design/methodology/approachDuring two semesters, 14 primary science teachers from three different schools participated in an in-service course at the university. Five D3 workshops lasting 4 h each were conducted with the aim to analyze, design and implement digital tools based on the needs of teachers and students. This includes discussions about the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework and further recommendations about how to choose, design, implement and evaluate digital tools for different teaching and learning situations. In between the workshops, the teachers were told to reflect on their experiences with colleagues and students and share their ideas and reflections to support collegial learning.FindingsThe results indicate that D3 has an opportunity to promote deep learning experiences with a framework that encourages teachers and researchers to study, explore and analyze the applied designs-in-practice, where teachers take part in the design process. This study further indicates that having teachers explicitly articulates their reasoning about designing digital applications to engage students’ learning that seems important for exploring the types of knowledge used in these design practices and reflecting on aspects of their teaching with digital technologies likely to influence their TPACK.Research limitations/implicationsThis research indicates that the increasing prevalence of information communication technology offers challenges and opportunities to the teaching and learning of science and to the scientific practice teachers might encounter. It offers solutions by investigating how primary teachers can design their own digital technology to meet students’ science learning needs. One limitation might be that the group of 14 teachers cannot be generalized to represent all teachers. However, this study gives implications for how to work with and for teachers to develop their knowledge of digital technologies in teaching.Practical implicationsAs this project shows teachers can take an active part in the digital school development and as such become producer of knowledge and ideas and not only become consumers in the jungle of technical applications that are implemented on a school level. Therefore, it might well be argued that in science teaching, paying more careful attention to how teachers and researchers work together in collaborative settings, offers one way of better valuing science teachers’ professional knowledge of practice. As such, an implication is that digital applications are not made “for” teachers but instead “with” and “by” teachers.Social implicationsThe society puts high demands om teachers’ knowledge and competencies to integrate digital technologies into their daily practices. Building on teachers’ own needs and concerns, this project addresses the challenge for teachers as a community to be better prepared for and meet the societal challenge that digitalization means for schools.Originality/valueAcross the field of science education, knowledge about the relation between teachers’ use of digital technology and how it might (or might not) promote students’ learning offers access to ideas of how to design and implement teacher professional development programs. This offers enhanced communication opportunities between schools and universities regarding school facilities and expectations of technology to improve teachers’ experiences with integrating technology into their learning and teaching. This pragmatic approach to research creates theory and interventions that serve school practice but also produces challenges for design-based researchers.

Pedagogical translanguaging and teachers’ perceptions of anxiety

ABSTRACT The concept of translanguaging is widely used in studies on multilingualism and language learning nowadays and it is important to distinguish between spontaneous translanguaging and pedagogical translanguaging. Spontaneous translanguaging refers to the discursive practices of multilingual speakers that have not been planned by the teacher and which take place both at school and outside school. Pedagogical translanguaging refers to pedagogical strategies planned by the teacher inside the classroom. The aim of this article is to explore the possible relationship between pedagogical translanguaging and the perception of students’ and teachers’ levels of anxiety when teaching and learning through the medium of second and third languages. Participants in the study were 124 teachers who took an in-service course on pedagogical translanguaging. These teachers implemented pedagogical translanguaging activities in their classes. The participants completed a questionnaire and some open questions to report their views on their own level of anxiety and that of their students while implementing translanguaging. The results indicate that pedagogical translanguaging can be associated with a reduction in students’ anxiety and teachers’ guilt feeling about using more than one language in class. These results are discussed as related to monolingual and multilingual ideologies in language teaching.

Teacher preparedness for English-medium instruction

Abstract This paper focuses on lecturers’ preparedness to teach EMI courses. Although many higher education institutions worldwide have rushed to jump on the EMI bandwagon, a strikingly low percentage of them have deemed it necessary to organise pre-service or in-service courses to help practitioners tackle this new teaching scenario. As a result, some potential teachers are reluctant to take part in EMI programmes, while some in-service EMI teachers complain because of a feeling of helplessness that arises from what they feel as lack of assistance from their institutions. In this article, after reviewing recent surveys on current practices in the training and accreditation of university teachers in EMI, I will examine what skills EMI teachers consider essential to deliver their classes effectively, whether they believe those can or even should be accredited, and, last but not least, how universities could support EMI teacher preparation. This analysis will allow us to reach EMI stakeholders by sharing research findings with them. Finally, a research agenda for future work on teacher preparedness for EMI will be put forward in an attempt to fill the gaps found in the review of the literature on the topic.

TEACHER-PUPIL CONFLICT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: EXPLANATORY TEACHERS’ NEEDS ANALYSIS IN ZIMBABWE

This study was motivated by the existence of reported teacher-pupil conflict in schools. Its purpose was to enhance teaching and learning interactive relation by exploring management strategies which reduce teacher-pupil conflicts. The study was guided by a qualitative research philosophy which used mixed data collection methods to capture social variables. The study design was a prescriptive seriation of three methods. First was a document analysis of school policies, rules and regulations to capture standards. This was followed by a survey to determine the problem distribution, contributing factors and possible management strategies. A self-reporting questionnaire gathered data from a stratified sample of 33 School Heads, 57 Deputy Heads, 241 Class Teachers and 274 School Prefects and 65 parents from 47 primary schools and 31secondary schools in Zimbabwe. Case studies of reported incidences were dominated by document analysis of reports and interviews for in-depth understanding. The study revealed that, Manicaland province had the highest number of teacher-pupil conflicts at secondary school level. The majority of them involved male teachers and male learners. Social factors such as Teachers’ failure to respect learners, verbal abuse and suspected favouritism practices were attached to teacher-pupil improper association. Cases linked to teachers’ poor lesson delivery included learner harassment, administering of corporal punishment and learner emotional abuse through unjustified punishments. The study deduced that young teachers have limited guidance and counselling skills ideal for adolescents. The study established the following strategic needs for the management of conflict between secondary school learners and teachers: first there is need for teacher in-service courses on adolescent class management. Course and workshop content to include human rights and conflict management. Learner participation in school governance need enhancement. Schools can improve teacher-learner communication skills and the use of collaborative decisions.

Richard Peters and his legacy

Richard Peters’s contribution to teaching and research in philosophy of education after 1962 until the mid-1970s was immense, as this piece by two of his colleagues from that period shows. He brought the prevailing emphasis on conceptual analysis in general philosophy to bear on creating a new way of philosophising about education. He worked tirelessly both to expand the teaching of the subject at Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) and especially at in-service levels, and to reform teacher education at the University of London Institute of Education and its associated colleges more generally. He also founded the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain and its journal. Despite health difficulties, problems in his analysis of the concept of education, objections to the academic overloading of the PGCE, and the later decline of government funding of in-service courses in the 1980s, much of Peters’s original vision for philosophy of education thrives to this day.

Unexplored Potential in Online In-Service Teacher Professional Development towards Teaching with Technology: Teacher Perceptions, Challenges and Spill-Over Effects in Kenya

Online courses can provide a worthwhile alternative to on-site Teacher Professional Development (TPD) especially in developing countries such as Kenya. This study was based on a training intervention which helped teachers to cope with the sudden turn of events that came after the government closed schools as one of the COVID-19 containment measures. A private university in Kenya designed and launched an online in-service course to respond to the needs of teachers amidst the pandemic. The university’s Teacher Enhancement Programme (TEP) realized that the training proved to be a game changer for the group of teachers who participated. The online training intervention enabled the teachers to get in touch with learners who were otherwise inaccessible. This study is a descriptive survey with both quantitative and qualitative data from a post survey questionnaire and a focused group discussion. The outcomes of the study indicated that online teacher enhancement programmes are an uncharted potential option for TPD even though there were challenges. The training intervention boosted teacher confidence in using technology to teach, and encouraged them to venture and discover more technology-based teaching tools on their own. The training intervention also led to improved teacher performance in the employment of emergency remote teaching within their learning institutions.

Pedagogical in-Service Courses and Novice Teachers' Professional Development

Current study aims to investigate the effect of in-service training courses on novice teachers’ professional development. Moreover, the study seeks to examine the types of in-service courses that novice teachers need. The study population is 30 English high school teachers with teaching certificates in the southern district of Israel. The instrument of the study is an online questionnaire with additional open-ended questions. Study findings showed that 47% of the participants prefer courses in social interaction and educational knowledge. However, few participants showed an interest in self-esteem related courses. The researcher advises novice teachers to priorities their needs in social interaction and educational knowledge courses in order to steadily develop professionally. Moreover, further studies need to be explored in order to examine the effect of pedagogical in-service training courses on veteran teachers' professional development and compare the data between two studies.

The Effectiveness of a Proposed Training Program based on Professional Competencies in the Light of International Standards in Developing the Teaching Performance of Mathematics Teachers at the Intermediate Stage in Kuwait

The contemplator of mathematics teaching notes that the educational outcomes have not reached the acceptable level in the State of Kuwait; It is punctuated by many problems, represented by the low educational attainment of students, so the current study aimed to reveal the effectiveness of a proposed training program based on professional competencies in the light of international standards in developing the teaching performance of mathematics teachers at the intermediate stage in Kuwait. the descriptive analytical approach, the constructivist approach, and the quasi-experimental approach. To achieve the objectives of the study, a teaching competency questionnaire, a note card, and a training program based on professional competencies were prepared. The study sample consisted of 30 middle school mathematics teachers (the eighth-grade teachers). The study tools were applied to them, appropriate statistical analyzes were performed and quantitative results were extracted. The results of the study showed that the professional competencies that mathematics teachers at the intermediate stage in the State of Kuwait should master in light of international standards came within a medium degree of proficiency; The field of teaching implementation competencies came in the first place, and in the second place came the field of teaching planning competencies. In the third and final place came the field of teaching evaluation competencies. The results also showed that there were statistically significant differences at the significance level (? = 0.05) between the scores of the quasi-experimental group members on the teaching performance in favor of the post-measurement. The study recommended the necessity of paying attention to the professional competencies of mathematics educators in the intermediate stage, by holding specialized in-service courses that include theoretical and practical mathematical and educational knowledge and information. And the need to pay attention to the professional growth of middle school mathematics teachers and the integration of knowledge and skills, in order to reach a high level of competence necessary for teaching mathematics.